Romanian farmers have sent an open letter to the country’s president and prime minister threatening that they will block ports and customs points from 1 October if the ban on imports of grain and oilseeds of Ukrainian origin is not extended.
“Although it was said that from 15.03.2023 to 15.09. 2023 imports of wheat, barley, rapeseed, sunflower and maize to Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia were banned, this was not respected by European, Ukrainian and national authorities, as evidenced by the statistics attached to this open letter…. If our demands do not receive a solution by 1 October, we will declare a massive general strike and block all ports and customs points in the country,” the agrarians’ appeal to the authorities, published by Digi 24 TV channel, said.
Romanian farmers demand that the ban on imports of wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and rapeseed from Ukraine be extended.
The agrarians believe that additional security measures should be applied during the transit of Ukrainian goods. Farmers also insist that the government should adopt a simplified resolution on the allocation of financial aid to farmers so that they can continue their work and harvest next year.
Market participants believe that Ukraine’s aid has a negative impact on logistics transport chains and storage capacities in Romania. As a result, local producers find themselves in a situation where they have to sell their goods at prices that are lower than those of their peers.